Demi Runas' Words to Live By

“Get better every day. It doesn’t have to be some–thing big—it can be something small. As long as you’re getting better every day, that’s success.”

1. I started playing golf tournaments at age 8

I’m a veteran at 23. I got my 2015 LPGA card in September 2014. I’ve been working for this pretty much my whole life, and when I got my card, I thought, ‘Is this really happening?’ I had a mild existential crisis! My journey is just starting again. I’m so excited to compete with the girls I’ve been watching on TV since I was in high school. I’m ready for it.

2. I’ve been practicing yoga for almost a year now

People had been telling me to try it, that it would really help my golf game. Then a friend of mine, a tattoo artist, started a donation-based class out of his studio and asked me to go. I remember being nervous, thinking, ‘What if I’m awful at this?’ I tend to be a perfectionist. But the instructor was really welcoming and made me feel comfortable. I got hooked right away. I really enjoy vinyasa flow.

3. I’ve always been busy minded

I do a lot of forward thinking. Golf is such a mental game—when I get frustrated, it seeps into everything. Yoga helps me clear my head and get over it. It helps me focus on one shot at a time, on being there, on not getting too far ahead of myself.

4. I started seeing a new sports psychologist at the same time I picked up yoga.

He’s more holistic; we do meditation every other session and work on not attaching to thoughts, not letting them grow. So if I hit a bad shot, I can look at it and think, ‘OK, that wasn’t great, but I still have a chance, so let’s go see what I have to work with,’ as opposed to freaking out.

5. Inversions have always been really hard for me.

It’s weird having my feet over my head—it’s a trust thing. But I just succeeded in doing Headstand for the first time. My teacher said, “Don’t be afraid to teeter; you’ll find your balance,” and that really resonated with me. That’s how life is: I’m going to go back and forth, I’ll have good times and bad times, but I will find my balance.